Regenard's Camp

Regenard let out another heavy sigh."It would be best if you left. Not safe for any of us if either of you two stay here. I'm burning this place down come morning, I need to head out somewhere, and I will not be responsible for anyone else. Friends aren't in my line of work, ma'am," he said. His expression remained solemn, and he poked at the fire again, the moon reaching the top of the sky, signaling that it was midnight."You'd best take care of yourself when we part."

She frowned at his response. Gaia whimpered softly "I don't want to be alone any more" she looked at Ghost, she knew that her emotions didn't faze him. But she looked up anyway. "Your eyes are very lovely" she smiled awkwardly. "I bet they'd be even more lovely if I could see the rest of your face" she nudged his arm and let out an adorable giggle. She felt happy with this man. She was going to stay with him, She just had to convince that maybe it's good to have at least one friend. "Do have any alcohol?" She licked her lips. "I haven't had a drink in so long, not since I had stayed with the thieves." She paused, "Do you actually want to hear my story?"

Regenard's eyes widened beneath his mask and he turned quickly to the girl."I'm not taking it off. And you could hardly tell what color they are, with the red lenses," he said.He leaned over and grabbed a pouch of water, then threw it at the girl's feet."Alcohol doesn't help you survive. Water does. Drink up, lass." He threw a pouch over by the boy as well, motioning for him to do with it what he desired.He had been taken aback by the girl's compliments, but he realized that in the end, she'd be just as much of a burden as anyone else."Yes, lass," he finally said, "I want to hear your story."

Ohanzee just kind of stared at the pouch, he was confused and didn't know what to do. Although, he didn't think this woman wanted him around. In the end, he ended up poking the pouch, not sure of what else to do.

"That doesn't stop them from being lovely" she smiled softly. She would treat the man tenderly. She liked him she felt like she could trust him. She stared at the water. She'd drink it later. She wanted to taste alcohol but water would do fine. "Well," she started. "I was adopted by two lesbians. They were killed. I went to a foster home, the father molested me. I murdered him. I found room and board with a man, who tried to kill me. I was taken in by thieves, constantly raped, I escaped and found a home. It was burned down and I found myself here. That's not all of my story, but you know. Those are just the hilights." She took in a deep breath and she felt herself crying again. "I'm sorry..." She turned away from them both, ashamed of herself and her tears. She was so thirsty, but did not want to waste the man's water. She sniffled and sighed, reaching for her mask once more.

Regenard looked at the man, then the girl."Sir," he said to the man, " I never did get your name."He then walked over to the girl and crouched by her, silent. He held up the cloth he had given her earlier and took the mask from her hand."I said no," he said softly.

Ohanzee looked up to the sky and stars then back to the man."My name is Ohanzee, but some people prefer calling me Shadow, since that is what my name means..." he stated, he didn't give out his real name to everyone, but this time it felt different.

Gaia blushed slightly and took the rag, wiping her tears. "i feel like I should hug you" she said softly but didn't follow through with her statement. She let him take her mask and sighed. She looked at him curiously and wondered if he remembered her name which she had told him so many hours before. Gaia looked down at the ground for a moment and looked back up at him, smiling. "If you don't have any alcohol, I do have some. It's in my pack about a hundred yards that way." She pointed north. "I've been saving it for a rainy day and I think that day has come, I'll be fine alone"

Regenard stared at her."Not until morning, lass. I can almost hear them out there now, throwing their silly flags around and justifying murder through their names and the names of whatever leaders they serve," he said, tossing his knife in the air.He looked at her."If you must have alcohol, I have a flask of whiskey that I buried beneath the clothing box in the tent. I want both you and our friend here safe until the morning," he paused, letting out a sharp breath, "Gaia."

Something about the way he said her name made Gaia blush more wildly than before. "O-Oh. Well, I don't want to use up your alcohol for my own needs." She swallowed and frowned. "after all, i'm only going to be here until morning" she hated the words coming out of her mouth. "I can wait to satisfy my own selfish needs." She looked at Ghost's eyes once more. She loved his eyes. They held so much beauty. She smiled kindly at him and looked over at Ohanzee, though she barely heard his name, she remembered it. "Enough about me...." She sighed, hating that her time with Ghost was being cut off. "I suppose it's his turn." She sighed and looked at her hands. "My ears are open"

Ohanzee felt hurt, obviously Gaia wanted to continue talking with Ghost, but he was here and he feared she would rather him be elsewhere."I suppose I'll just give the highlights, like Gaia did..." he sighed, he hated his story, he hated most of the people in it, "Well, my mom died in birth, my dad commit suicide on the day of my birth and claimed me evil, a family took me in but my 'siblings' beat me all the time, when I found out my family only took me in because they'd get money, I ran away. When they found me, they chained me shirtless to the stairs and laughed as I was beaten and raped. They unchained me and I attempted suicide but failed only to get chained to the stairs again for more beating and all, then I successfully ran away only to get gang-raped by these men in an alley and ever since I've been a trader or a dirty filthy whore." He was on the verge of tears, because he felt the last part was true. Even though he needed the money in those times, he felt filthy and disgusting because of it. And he was ashamed because of it too.

Ohanzee's story was depressing and brought back surpressed memories. Gaia slowly started remembering the night she ran away. That was the night that the bandits decided to try something new. "Group sex." which was fun for the men but not the woman. They had cut words into her back and inner thighs. She felt sick and ashamed. "I'm sorry to hear these things." She kept her eyes down. This night was bringing back so much pain. She was thirsty, hungry and tired. But did not want to lose a moment with Ghost.

Regenard laughed and stuck his knife into the ground violently."See, what did I tell you? No one but yourself ever has your back. You can't rely on anyone. You both should know that now, as much as me. No one ever cares for anyone else. It just doesn't happen," he said, gaze shifting between the two. Memories flashed through his mind. Visions of his parents, his sister, the bastard that killed her. Even he didn't have anyone's back. He'd failed once, and he wouldn't bother trying again.

Ohanzee jumped slightly when Ghost laughed and stuck his knife in the ground. He knew he was partially right, but Ohanzee believed that there was always going to be atleast someone you could find to trust, it was just a matter of if you found them or not. But he didn't speak it, he just looked at the ground solemnly. He wanted to hear about the man's past, but he knew that wasn't going to happen for a while.

Gaia looked at Ghost with a strong curiosity in her eyes. "You know, some people do actually care" She knew Ghost wouldn't listen to her but she could attempt to say something anyway. She rubbed her leg, running her fingers over the places where the men had cut those nasty words like "slut" into it. She had various words all over her body and no body knew about them. She'd never let anyone see. She felt her stomach growl, and heard it too. She looked up at Ghost for a moment and sighed. "I will never earn your trust, will I?"

Regenard turned to face the girl quickly, the moonlight glinting off of his lenses."I don't trust. Trust gets you killed. Trust gets you hurt. Trust is pointless," he said solemnly. He remembered that he at one point trusted a girl who looked very much like the woman before him, and she had been torn away from his arms."And for the record," he said, looking up to the cloudy sky overhead, "Rubbing your scars only makes them hurt more."

Ohanzee looked up at Ghost suddenly."Do you trust yourself?" he asked the man. He held a steady gaze, determined to not flinch or jump at anything for a long time, unlike those couple of times he was here.

Gaia looked at Ghost, contemplating whether to say anything or just keep her mouth shut. She decided to speak. "Are my questions annoying you?" she stopped touching her scars at this point, The memory was fresh in her mind once more an it was making it hard for her to focus. "I can shut up, If you'd like me to. I'm just really curious and I like to speak my mind, although sometimes that gets me hurt" she wished she could shrink down till the two men could no longer she her. "Ghost, Can I have my mask?"

Regenard threw the mask at the girl's feet."I spared you so you could ask me questions. I've answered the ones that I believe I should answer," he said. He turned to the man."There is no 'trusting oneself'. There is only having faith that you won't miss," he said."Now, I want a bit of an explanation. It's my turn. Why are you both out here this close to the Dead Lands?"

Gaia quickly pulled her mask back on. She took Ghost's comment as her cue to shut up. She'd let Ohanzee speak first this time. But she muttered under her breath, "Then why haven't you killed me yet?" she looked at Ghost's eyes, this man didn't care about her, she would never be his friend, he would never like her. So why was he sparing her? She fidgeted and frowned beneath her mask. This man was making her think harder than she has in a while. But before she could think about him, she had to think of an answer for his question. She waited for Ohanzee's reply but kept her eyes on Ghost. What if she creeped him out? She quickly went into the tent. She moved the clothing box and started digging hastily for the whiskey he had buried.

Ohanzee looked at the man for a moment, then replied."I never really have reason for where I go. I just start walking but I notice all the things around me," he said, smiling a bit, "most of the time when I am out this far, I study the animals when and if I can. It's a nice place to pick up things people dropped and left though. But I mostly just go wherever my feet take me...with some limitations, of course," he looked at Gaia then at Ghost. His answer made him feel like a kid that doesn't know of the dangers out there, but he was all too aware of the dangers.

Regenard watched the girl as she entered his tent."Because I haven't got a reason too," he said after her. He then turned the the man and said "Just watch where your feet lead you, kid. You'll end up falling down a hole you can't get out of."

Once Gaia finally dug up the whiskey, she walked back out by the fire, gulping it down selfishly. She knew if she got drunk enough, she wouldn't wonder any more about Ghost, she'd stop caring about herself, and she'd lighten up. She knew she'd get scolded by Ghost but that didn't matter right now. The man still wouldn't open up to her, to be honest she knew that she wasn't worth opening up to, So once she passed out drunk, the men would no longer have to deal with her dumb questions and annoying personality. She gulped more of the whiskey, staring numbly at the fire. "It's kind of funny," she stated "how people like to lie about how much they care"